Forthright Innocence
by Arctic Husky
Summary: Post-PoR, Naesala x Leanne. Many often said that Leanne could be as stubborn as her brother, so it was unsurprising that she succeeded in guilting Naesala into sneaking her out of the palace for a day. Who knew that a day would become so much more?
1. Chapter I

Somehow through the ciourse of playing through Radiant Dawn, I developed a serious love for the bird laguz. Oddly, in Path of Radiance, I paid no mind to them at all; now I adore each and every one of them! As far as pairings are concerned, you could throw the Path of Radiance royal birds in a bag, pull two out at random, and I would be satisfied with the pairing (er... as long as Reyson and Leanne weren't pulled out together, of course), although Naesala/Leanne ended up stealing my interest above all the others, hence the creation of this story. It was originally intended to be a one-shot, but ideas kept popping up and I would now anticipate it to be around four chapters long, at least. Just as well, since the world needs more Naesala/Leanne love.

It should be clear in the story, but in case it isn't, this fic takes place between the events of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, nor anything in them.

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Forthright Innocence

Phoenicis appeared larger than it had the day before, although it still seemed so minute as long as it and his own kingdom could simultaneously fit in his range of vision. He knew exactly why the hawk king's land appeared to grow day after day; he was constantly swooping closer, drawn in by the sight of the castle and the knowledge of who was staying in it at that time. The realization that his childhood friends long thought dead still lived had torn down barriers in his heart during the Mad King's War and prompted him to choose his side morally instead of based on materialism. After that decision, though, he found himself at a loss for what to do next. Reyson forgave him, Leanne accepted him without a second thought, and even Tibarn warmed up and offered access to his palace whenever desired; he even agreed to the suggestion of Nealuchi, one of the raven tribe, becoming Leanne's personal guardian.

Still, as low as he hovered above the castle, Naesala could never bring himself to land. He simply lingered there as he did every day since Nealuchi had given him word that the herons were visiting the Phoenicis palace, the positives and negatives of landing piling up on a balance in his mind, each side rising and falling with every new argument that he came up with. _"Pro: I would get to spend time with Reyson and Leanne,"_ he would weigh day after day,_ "Con: my visit would bring attention that I really could do without."_ After circling the sky over the castle for an hour or so, he would heave a sigh, roll his eyes, wonder what he was doing there, and then fly back to Kilvas. No one ever spotted him; he was too far up for the guards outside to see him—perhaps the Hawk King's Eyes could, but no others. If he was seen by anyone, either suspicions would be raised and he would have to end the tradition of his daily flight, or he would be enticed to glide down and take up Tibarn's open offer of visitation. The second possibility made intentionally being spotted almost tempting; however, Naesala did not quite feel prepared to surrender the life of seclusion that he had taken up.

He flapped his wings at a deliberate, even pace while eyeing the building below him; his talons curled with a longing to settle upon its edge, nail etchings on the brick being the only clue left behind of his presence. The soldiers were not taking flight at that moment, and he would therefore not be seen... _"Pro: with a little rest, I can return to Kilvas more alert and willing to work. Con: nothing, as no one would see me."_

With that thought, he tucked his wings in and swooped down to the castle roof, spiralling and flipping through the breeze to make the lengthy trip down more entertaining for himself. As the building grew closer and closer, Naesala spread his wings out once more and flapped them leisurely to slow himself down as his body shifted out of its raven form. His feet settled onto the brick roof, sounding light clacks as his heels landed. As large as the castle had seemed from above, it felt even vaster when on standing atop it, Naesala thought. If not for the towers that rose from the roof's edge, he would not have been able to judge where the roof stopped; it appeared endless from his perspective. He strolled along the masonry, gaining some kind of cathartic satisfaction in the fact that he had dared to make contact with the palace at last. It made the day successful enough for him, so he fanned his wings out again and lifted himself into the air. He had barely flown past the edge of the roof when his flight was disrupted...

"Naesala!!" The raven temporarily forgot to flap his wings when the sweet, heron voice drifted into his ears. He recovered swiftly and turned to the source of the voice: Leanne, standing by the open window in one of the castle's towers. Her fingers curled around the window's sill and she leaned slightly forward, enough that the wind caught in her hair and made it float over half of her face.

Before reacting to Leanne in any way, Naesala looked down to locate himself. His brow furrowed as he found that he was lingering above an area populated with many guards. Continuing not to respond to Leanne's initial greeting, he soared up to her window and let himself in, finding himself standing in the centre of what must have been her bedroom for the time that she was staying in Phoenicis. Finally feeling comfortable out of the sight of the hawks, Naesala looked to Leanne with a wayward smile, "Don't mind me flying in."

The heron rested her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Naesala. A series of fuming ancient words slipped out of her mouth before she inquired rather accusingly, "No 'hello'?"

His smirk hardly wavered, as Leanne speaking in a threatening manner simply added to her innocence as far as Naesala was concerned. "Hello," he greeted in as sing-song a tone as his voice would allow. Leanne huffed to keep up a displeased appearance; however, the raven king was well aware of the twitch of a smile at the corner of her lips. "Come now," he urged, "You know you can forgive me. Could you possibly stay mad at someone this handsome for long?"

Her mouth finally curving upward, Leanne lifted her hand to the side of his face as though scrutinizing it; after some deliberation, she patted his cheek like one would a dog's head and then spoke, "Maybe... I will be forgive you." Naesala watched her hand out of the corner of his eye as she moved her hand off of his skin. "Maybe," she repeated the word as a sort of warning, although her voice was still as soft as ever. Contented with Leanne's potential forgiveness, he let his eyes wander about the room and absorb the intricate decorum that was surely added to be fitting for a heron princess. The bed centred against the far wall of the room was layered in pure, white covers and was semi-hidden beneath a thin, blue canopy. The draperies that embellished the walls were of an identical colour palette, as were the curtains that hung over the window, pulled aside at that instant to let the sun shine through. It was all very soft and... frail, to a certain degree; as well as that fitted Leanne's gentle appearance, it lacked the spunk that she and Reyson had always had at least a hint of, and somehow that disappointed him.

"Where is Nealuchi?" he asked quite suddenly. Spirit was not the only thing missing from the room; where was his old caretaker that he had sent to keep a watchful eye over the herons?

His question caused a frown to appear on Leanne's face again. "Never_ here_," she answered with impatience, pointing at the floor to specify that 'here' was her room. "Here, I am alone," she elaborated while trying to keep a confident tone, although every few words, her voice would falter, "You never visit, so... you are not knowing." In spite of her efforts to sound assertive, Leanne's face flushed as she spoke the modern language, knowing that her message was not as clear as she would have liked.

The raven attempted to shrug off her accusations, "Well, you haven't been in Phoenicis for very long. You can't expect me to have had time to—"

"Gallia, too!" Leanne interrupted, "Never."

"I'm here now, aren't I?" he countered, anticipating that the squabble would end at his response.

Leanne defied his expectations when she retorted, "I saw... You were, uhm, flew away... before."

Excuses began darting into his mind, and leaving just as quickly: _"I was going to the front entrance... but she saw me avoid the guards' gazes; I had already been inside! They said that you weren't here! ...That would simply be a blatant lie."_ Naesala caught her stare locked on him and was abruptly all too aware that he had let his guard down, and therefore she already knew that he was digging up lies. "I'd rather not have to deal with any political affairs that come with visiting Phoenicis..." he began with honesty.

A cluster of ancient words disrupted that thought, and Naesala could—quite gratefully—tell that they were of a calm nature. "You want to, then? Visit... me?"

"Of course," Naesala answered immediately; he hoped that she never doubted that. The sole reason that he was in Phoenicis was because of his nagging desire to visit the herons. There was no use in even considering leaving at that point. At long last, he was getting time with his childhood friend, whether it had been intentional or not. "What shall we do, then?"

"I... I am awake. I am happy," Leanne began speaking, turning her head to the window, "but I still feel, ah...trapped? ...Is that right?"

Naesala took a few steps to stand by her side, and then leaned over slightly and searched her expression; her eyes did not acknowledge him, instead focused outside. He saw her gaze follow a group of hawk guards that had taken to the sky, watching every turn and dive that they made, particularly interested as they sank into a forested area some ways away. "So you want to get out?" he said with the intention of his words being taken as more of a suggestion than a question; however, Leanne responded with a sedate nod, not quite catching onto his seriousness. "Leanne," he spoke her name to encourage her to face him, and she reacted as he had hoped, "if you want to get out, then let's go out. It sounds much more interesting than standing around in this stuffy nest."

Something between a laugh and a squeal escaped Leanne's throat as a smile broke out on her face, beaming teeth as white and faultless as the sheets on her bed. Naesala lifted an index finger to his lips, uttering a 'ssh' through his smirk. Without changing her ecstatic expression, Leanne brought a hand to her mouth in apology and then motioned sealing her lips closed. Before she could return her hand to her side, Naesala took it in his own and pulled the window wide open with the hand that remained free. He cautiously stepped up onto the window's ledge, thankful that the window itself was tall enough to let him stand without slouching as Leanne joined him on the sill. With a quick nod to Leanne, Naesala leapt into the wind practically synchronized with the heron. They both extended their wings and flapped them casually, leaving occasional loose black and white feathers to rain on the more isolated areas of Phoenicis that they intended to explore.

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Not much to say at this point, other than I'd love some feedback!


	2. Chapter II

Thank you all for the lovely comments on this story. I won't distract you from the second chapter any longer:

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As fingers curled about the stem of a leaf, a light snap sounded through the clearing to announce that the leaf had broken off of its tree. It was a soft noise, and yet in the stillness that was natural and unnatural altogether, it seemed to echo like the roar of a beast laguz. Leanne stared at the unattached leaf with disappointment in her eyes and a subtle sulk in her lips; she had hardly made contact with it, and still it had broken off so feebly. Twirling the leaf between her fingers, Leanne quietly sang the notes of a song as the leaf crumbled and its fragments floated to the forest floor. The tree standing before her seemed to naturally flourish from the dry, dying state of its leaves to a full picture of health that matched the greens of the trees surrounding it.

Standing at the centre of the clearing, Naesala watched as the heron princess wandered from tree to tree and hummed and sang at even the minutest hint of death within the forest in order to bring it to life once more. The sight of her practically gliding about as though no one were watching brought a smirk to Naesala's lips. He received some sort of satisfaction in knowing that he was the one who allowed her to experience the serenity that she was noticeably enjoying. "Am I going to stand here as a third wheel to you and the forest, or can we walk a little more?"

She glanced briefly at Naesala before turning her attention to the tree once more, eyes moving from the ground that it rooted into to the branches that extended and intertwined with those of its neighbouring tree. Both options had their tempting factors; she saw no reason not to indulge herself in the two together. Leanne weaved herself between two trees to slip out of the tame clearing into the more adventurous, true side of nature. Naesala began to follow, but looked up to the sky before venturing into the brush. He had no fear of getting lost—all that they would need to do in such a case would be to soar up above the trees to find where they were—however having the sun veiled from him was concerning. He would not be able to tell what hour it was without seeing the sun's position in the sky, and he had to have Leanne back at the palace by dinner at the latest... even then, it would take an incredible amount of fortune for no one to have noticed Leanne's absence, and luck was not something that Naesala had an abundance of.

In opposition of Naesala's concerns, Leanne simply continued through the overgrown blades of grass with a joyous glow on her face. The grass no longer flattened beneath her feet, but instead crawled up to brush against her legs, all the way up to her knees, tickling and making her skin itchy simultaneously. Branches became more of a challenge to avoid as she continued walking forward, but she hardly felt them as, for the most part, they simply ran through her thick hair or briefly snagged on her dress. The raven followed her closely, not nearly as thrilled by the aspects of nature that he found more agitating than appealing. Nonetheless, he was willing to endure the frustrations just to witness Leanne's endearing mannerisms. She always had a child-like quirk about her; however, seeing her dance about the branches and take everything in with wonder made Naesala felt as though he had been taken back to childhood when he would visit his friends in the Serenes Forest, back when he was the dear friend instead of the distant, selfish king.

As much as he had grown accustomed to the smirks and snide remarks that had become a part of him, he preferred reverting to his old self, how he had been before the weight of leadership kept him from flying. He still smirked and spoke sardonically when in Leanne and Reyson's presence, but neither was done maliciously; it was more playful, more teasing.

"You look foolish," he stated, his voice somewhat melodic to show the light-hearted nature of his observation. Leanne turned to look at him, still smiling as she tilted her head in questioning. Instead of responding with words, Naesala walked up to Leanne and snaked his fingers through her locks until he succeeded in snatching something from them. When he pulled his hand back and dangled a leaf before her eyes, Leanne stifled back a snicker at how she had managed not to notice the foliage caught in her hair. "I can't help but think that the hawks would realize that you'd been out of the palace if they saw leaves in your hair like that."

Without immediately noting Naesala's warning of sorts, Leanne began picking out the leaves that remained tangled in her tresses. Once she moved all of the evidence from her hair to her hands, she sent a conniving grin in Naesala's direction and planted her palm atop his head, transferring the leaves that she had preened from her hair into his. Leanne smiled proudly as she pulled her hand back and admired the sight of Naesala with leaves tumbling off of his head, an astonished expression in his eyes that did not carry over into his other facial features. "Now, they will not be... knowing," she paused as she spoke, but did not stammer any words so that she could sound confident, cocky as Naesala was when he teased her.

Naesala reached up to his head and grasped as many leaves as he could in one hand. "They won't?" he asked, and then mirrored Leanne's action, ruffling the leaves back into her hair.

She let out a squeak in surprise and shook her head so that at least some of the leaves fell to the ground. When she looked to Naesala again, he had already expanded his wings and begun flying toward the sky before she had the chance to retaliate. A scowl on her face, Leanne flapped her wings and followed suit, soaring upwards and through the treetops that separated forest from sky. She had expected Naesala to linger for a while longer, but when she emerged on the other side she saw him looking to the clouds, practically glaring at the sun as it sank closer and closer to the earth. The instant that he saw that Leanne had followed him, he bolted in the direction that they had come from earlier that day. "Ah!" the beating of Leanne's wings became more panicked in an attempt to catch up with the raven, built for nimble flight far more than she was, "W—Wait!"

The rhythm of his wings' flapping changed so that he could turn to face Leanne as she made her way to where he hovered, waiting as ordered to. When the heron finally fluttered up to him, Naesala gave her a lopsided smile, "Considering your heron lineage, you never have been the most graceful at flying." Moving just slightly closer to him, Leanne gave Naesala a nudge in the chest as a retort, which simply served to even out the raven's grin with amusement.

"We need to go back now," Naesala said firmly, earning a disappointed yet accepting sigh from the heron. "If they haven't already looked into your chambers and found you missing, someone is bound to check in at dinnertime, so we'll have to hurry," he approached Leanne and slipped an arm about her waist, inciting an inquiring 'ah?' to spill from her lips, "Hurrying means I'll have to do the flying," Naesala elaborated while bringing his other arm to the undersides of her knees, "Hold on, now." Leanne hardly needed to be told to do so, as she threw her arms around his neck and tightly gripped onto his shirt, above his wings to keep out of their way.

It took a lot of self-control for Leanne to keep herself from flapping her own wings instinctively when she felt the rush of wind brought forth by Naesala's swift flight, but she buried her face into the crook of his neck and trusted in his strength until they at last landed at the back of the castle. Naesala set her down onto her feet, and the two cautiously navigated the outer regions of the building until they spotted Leanne's room above.

The raven king flew up to the window and peered inside to ensure that the room was empty. With continual wariness, he moved to open the window; when he saw that it was no longer left ajar as it had been when he and Leanne had taken flight, it was clearly recognized that they had been found out. He could only hope that Tibarn's eyes and ears had not managed to trace the missing Leanne to him. If they believed that Leanne had fled alone, then she would easily be excused; he was not liked enough by the hawks to get away with such a thing. Once Naesala opened the window again and confirmed the room's barrenness, he motioned to the heron below to follow suit. She soared upward and stopped at his side, although the raven motioned with his hand that she should enter first. Leanne gave him a smile before slipping into the room, immediately followed by Naesala.

He watched as she hesitantly lowered her feet to the floor at the centre of the room. Her head turned from side to side, letting her eyes take in the exquisite draperies that were intended to conceal the drab, stone walls beneath. Naesala could tell by the way her lips curved downwards slightly that she only saw the walls as those of a dungeon. He would have liked to be her fairytale prince that whisked her away to bliss for a lifetime, not a mere day. Unfortunately for Leanne, he could not be her ideal. He could not afford to do something that would draw up controversy, even though it seemed that he did it often; a true prince charming would have sacrificed it all for her sake, but Naesala hardly considered himself charming in any case.

"I'm off, then," he said, having not moved any further into the room than just in front of the window. Leanne turned around frantically and ran up to him, grasping both of his arms and forcing his feet to the ground. "Leanne," he spoke sternly while trying to pry her fingers off from around his arms; it seemed that her stubbornness could carry over into her physical strength, as well, "If Tibarn or Reyson find me here..."

Leanne's eyes sparkled, and he knew that it was from tears building up. Still, the heron managed a smile as she released Naesala's arms and instead pulled him into an embrace. "...Thank you," she said, nestling her face in the curve of his neck as she had when they were flying. He sighed, fully aware that he would be delaying his leave further by returning her hug, but also knowing that he was giving into that temptation nonetheless. As his hands made their way to Leanne's back, her fingers deliberately began to trail along the frame of his wings at a gradual pace.

A shiver traveled up his spine and he ruffled his feathers in response. "What are you doing?" he inquired as he moved himself back slightly, breaking the contact of their hug without moving his hands from her back. Had she intended to make him react the way that he did, to make his wings freeze and heart pound with perplexity? Her action was done so purposely, Naesala had to wonder...

Leanne pouted her lip as she moved slightly closer and lifted herself to her tiptoes so that her mouth was near Naesala's ear. She cooed words in the ancient tongue that he had never heard before, using a tone that made him shiver again. He took another step back and put his hands out to hold her away as she approached him once more defiantly. "Stop, stop." Such advancement made the raven feel as though he was facing someone other than Leanne; however, it was undoubtedly her, somehow innocent in spite of her actions as she tilted her head lightly to the side, her eyes holding no comprehension of why he would not accept her affection. She had felt his soul often enough and it held the same emotions as her own. "I _have_ to leave, Leanne," Naesala persisted.

"I like when you visit, Naesala," she said as she slowly accepted that he was winning the battle of whether or not he would stay longer, "You do not..." she wrinkled her nose slightly as she thought through her vocabulary, "treat me, hm... different. I like that."

He brought his hand up to Leanne's cheek and caressed it soothingly with his thumb. The princess closed her eyes in contentment at his touch. "And I like seeing you," Naesala assured, "I will try to do it more often. Really." He could see a smile tug at her lips as he said that, and he knew that it was therefore a promise that he would have to keep. If he did not do so on his own, Leanne's tenacity would ensure that he did it instead.

Looking past Leanne for an instant, the king of Kilvas caught sight of the room's doorknob twisting. Alarmed, he pulled his hand away from Leanne, which jolted her back to reality. She murmured a few ancient words in confusion as Naesala hurried to the window, although his need for escape was explained as she heard the door being pushed open. "Goodbye," Naesala said with his usual smirk before stepping onto the windowsill and leaping into the air. The heron princess walked to the window and watched Naesala take flight as her bedroom door fully opened.

"Leanne!" She finally turned around to see her brother, Reyson, looking at her in panic, "You're back! What happened? Where were you?"

She snuck a glance out the window before starting toward the room's exit. "I went flying," she answered as though she slipped out everyday for a casual fly, "I'm back now. I will tell everyone."

Reyson watched his sister warily as she took her leave of the room, her face beaming. Once she was out of his sight, he turned curiously toward the window just in time to catch sight of a transformed raven fleeing the castle grounds.

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When I had originally been thinking that this fic would be a one-shot, this was where I was planning on ending it, but I got attached to a sheerly romantic story between Naesala and Leanne, so it's continuing for a couple more chapters at least. Please let me know how you are enjoying it (or not enjoying it, ha ha)!


	3. Chapter III

Again, thank you all so much for the encouraging feedback! I hope that you all continue to enjoy it.

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Her gaze darted anxiously from the breakfast on the plate before her to the eyes, almost identical to her own, watching her unwaveringly from across the table. The periodic conversation around the table was hardly lively enough for her to be distracted from the look that her brother seemed incapable of changing. What agitated Leanne the most was that those eyes were unreadable; they were hardly a glare, far from contented, but also completely certain of themselves. Each time she gave into the urge to glance at him to see if the look was still there—and it always was—the desire to lose her patience built up, filling from her chest into her throat where it waited with the ancient words: _Brother! What do you want from me?!_

Janaff began recounting an anecdote, rich with the enthusiasm that very few people had in morning hours. All of the laguz around the table, save Leanne and Reyson, listened to the hawk's story and watched its accompanying gestures with interest; although his audience was not particularly large, as Ulki, Nealuchi, and Tibarn were the only others present in the private dining room that morning. Janaff's distraction was plenty enough for Leanne, though, and she leaned halfway across the table and fiercely whispered the question that had been lying thick in her lungs.

The cover of Janaff's storytelling was not enough, however, as Tibarn's eyes instantly turned to the heron siblings. "Is something wrong?" he inquired.

Much to Leanne's relief, Reyson finally tore his stare away from her and instead focussed it on the hawk king. Although he shook his head in immediate response, Reyson's voiced reply implied otherwise, "There is always something wrong when you live with a sibling." He looked to Leanne again, prompting a frown to overtake her lips; _'We need to have a discussion after breakfast,'_ he told her in the ancient tongue. With that said, Leanne had to endure what felt like the longest meal of her life while contemplating all of the things that could have her brother so uptight.

After all of the plates were cleared of food, for the most part, the bird laguz gathered around the table began to disperse. Despite his urge to further pry into the tension between the herons, Tibarn remained loyal to his duties as he and his right and left hands departed to their regular day's work. The guardian of the herons was more reluctant to leave, however, and remained seated at the table for several minutes filled by silence before Reyson addressed him, "Sir Nealuchi, might I request that you leave me and my sister to discuss something for just a short while?"

Before he was given a chance to respond, Leanne turned to the old raven and rambled melodramatically in the ancient tongue, _'No, nooo! Don't leave me with this brute!'_ Reyson's head snapped in her direction, eyes instantly narrowed, which made Leanne giggle to herself. Her words failed to be deciphered by Nealuchi, wise in life experience but certainly not in foreign languages, who could only assume that the princess was not to be taken seriously by her mannerisms.

"Of course, Prince Reyson," Nealuchi complied, "just be sure to tell me when you and the lovely Leanne are parting ways. I wouldn't want my fair princess wandering around these corridors alone." At that statement, Leanne aimed her gaze away from Nealuchi and let out a quiet huff; she did not expect Naesala to return so soon, only a day after his last visit, but just in case...

The crow courteously gathered up his own plate, as well as those left behind by the hawks, and took his leave from the dining quarters. With his disappearance from eyeshot, Leanne assumed that her brother would directly address his point; however, after dithering without any words for some time, he began the conversation with a question, _'Where were you yesterday?'_ She did not hesitate at all before opening her mouth, although Reyson just as swiftly kept her from actually speaking, _'And don't give me any of that nonsense about 'flying'! Just tell me honestly, Leanne.'_

Her chest knotted slightly at the thought of lying to her brother. Saying that she went flying was completely truthful, but if she had to cover for Naesala using any more words than that, some of them were bound to be false. _'But I _was_ flying!'_ she persisted, hardly an answer that reflected all of the consideration that she had put into it.

'_With who?'_ Reyson retorted as though the words had been waiting to come out since he had last spoken. _'Just say it. I already know, but I want you to tell me.'_ His eyes were melancholy, Leanne concluded; he had no questions that he could not answer himself, and although those answers upset him, he knew that he could do nothing to change them.

'_Naesala.'_ There was no denying the disappointment etched into her brother's face—straight-mouthed and wary-eyed. _'I don't understand,'_ Leanne dared to speak out of the bounds set up by Reyson's questions, _'Why do you look worried, brother? Naesala has always been kind to us. I was the one who wanted to get out of this castle; he only accompanied me, and saw me back here safely.'_

Reyson stood up from his seat and turned away from Leanne, resting his hands on the table's surface, _'I know that... just as well as you know that he has done a few questionable things in recent times.'_ Working against the laguz, stealing, handing Reyson over to Oliver... Leanne had heard the tales, but she had seen more than that: he had saved her when she was captured and he had fought on the righteous side in the final battle, and those events were far more recent than the negative ones that everyone seemed to use as warnings time and again. _'I'm not going to stop you. The best I could do without letting Tibarn in on this would be to either watch you myself or have Nealuchi guard you at all times, and you would undoubtedly do all in your power to escape me, and Nealuchi would cave under yours and Naesala's pleads within seconds.'_ Her face beaming, Leanne clasped her hands and brought them to her chin, giddy with thoughts of the freedom that she could get to bask in, even if fleeting.

The older of the siblings walked to the opposite side of the table, and his sister stood up to greet him. He tossed his arms around her and she did her best to return the gesture, her hug limited to use of her forearms because of Reyson's hold. _'Just don't be... irrational,'_ he warned with carefully thought-out words, earning a disgruntled sigh from Leanne, _'Seriously, Leanne.'_

As best as she could manage, Leanne tightened her hug as reassurance, _'Don't worry, brother. I'll be careful.'_ Squirming out of Reyson's grasp, she looked to him with a smile and added, _'And Naesala _will_ be there to protect me!'_ With that said, she gave him another hurried hug and headed to the dining room's exit before the conversation could be dragged out any longer.

Once she was out of sight, Reyson took in as much breath as he could and sighed it out slowly, until all of the air was out of his lungs. "She didn't understand my point at all..." he mused aloud with exasperation. His eyed turned to the table, left littered with the dishes that Nealuchi had not brought along with him as he left, and he let out a groan filled with as much vexation as his last spoken words.

The topic seemed to dissipate after that conversation, only being reared on occasion when Leanne caught her brother giving her that same, solemn look; however, he usually caught himself and turned away quickly with a sigh. Each day Leanne chose to spend many of the daylight hours in her room, looking out of her window while overlooking Reyson's apparent concern. It was a day less than a week since Naesala's first visit when the raven's flapping wings sounded outside of Leanne's window again.

The heron princess was seated on her bed, propped against the backboard with a book written in modern script in her hands. She squinted at the words in front of her and twisted her lips from side to side with vain hope that they would spontaneously be neatly translated into the language that she understood. If she heard them she could understand them, but looking at them was another story altogether... After deciding that she grasped enough of the words in front of her, Leanne moved to flip to the following two pages; as her fingers rested on the paper's corner, however, the sound of a light tapping at her window met her ears before the sound of a page being turned. Her head snapped to the window and her eyes widened with renewed attentiveness when she saw Naesala hovering outside, his knuckles pressed against the glass having rested there after knocking. Finally having the heron's attention, the hand against the window motioned through a series of actions: a wave hello, a thumb pointing behind him, outside, and a finger pressed to his lips to encourage silence. With that, he sank down and out of the view seen from Leanne's window.

Not sparing a second, she closed the book and left her bookmark atop her bed where it would not get to serve its purpose. She hurriedly shifted off of the bed and examined the room; with a deep inhale, she hoped that if anyone happened to drop by her room, it was Reyson. There was no way that Tibarn would let her excuse pass without questioning again, but there was also no way to conceal her absence while she was with Naesala.

In spite of the risks, Leanne left the room behind her as she unlocked her literal window to the outside world. Spotting Naesala waiting below by the side of the castle, she soared down and lowered her feet to the ground next to him. She looked up at him hopefully, and was slightly taken aback to find his eyes looking down as gravely as her brother's had been doing all week. As she opened her mouth to question it, Naesala spoke up in a tone that she was not expecting: provoking, teasing, he spoke exactly as he did when he wore a smirk and playful eyes, "You took so long getting down here. Do you not want to go exploring today?"

"I—I do!" Leanne said frantically, "Take me, ah, away! To... explore."

Heaving a melodramatic sigh, Naesala caved into her pleading as though it were a chore, "Fine then. But today we go to an area that a raven like me is more adjusted to."

Without any hesitation, Leanne gave an eager nod, and then as an afterthought asked the question that she should have considered beforehand, "...Where?" Instead of voicing an answer, he expanded his wings and lifted himself higher and higher in the air until Leanne had no choice but to follow.

It was somewhat of a relief that their flight was much more leisurely than the last one that they had taken together, although Leanne could think of many worse things than having to be carried by Naesala again... like Tibarn's fury if he ever found out she had snuck out, or the stench of Nealuchi's breath after he ate one of his questionable meals, or Janaff provoking Ulki into an entertaining squabble, or a brotherly embrace from Reyson... The examples strolling through her mind were growing less and less negative, and yet somehow they all seemed appropriately worse than having Naesala lift her up and go for a flight.

Naesala gave a sidelong glance to his company and could hardly begin to imagine what had her so diverted from her surroundings. Surely she should have noticed and commented on the highest peak of Phoenicis growing larger and larger in front of them as Naesala directed their flight in that direction. When the mountain was close enough to land on, Naesala finally piped up with a gaze directed completely at Leanne, "Hey, fancy that! Look at where we are!" The heron's wings halted for an instant, and then she shook her head and glanced downwards while Naesala added to his previous statement, "It's the best part of Phoenicis, in my modest opinion."

As he comfortably landed on the rocky surface, colourless everywhere and jagged in many places, Leanne resisted following suit. "It is, um..." she hesitated; for the first time, her hesitation was not the result of being unable to think of a specific word, but of struggling to find anything to say in any language at all, "...grey."

"Tsk," Naesala clicked his tongue in protest, reaching out to Leanne and tugging on her sleeve until she complied and rested her feet on the surface next to him, "You make that sound like the most terrible thing in the world!" The twitch at the corner of Leanne's mouth that shifted her expression from straight-lipped to frown persisted until Naesala said something to redeem himself. As far as her consideration went, he had made a miscalculated decision in bringing her to the dreary cliffs for her outing; he knew that she enjoyed the rich, vivid colours of the forests... jade leaves, olive grass, azure skies, pastels of flowers—not the greyscale scenery of her current location. "Come," Naesala urged, furthering his insistence by slipping his hand into hers and walking to the mountain's edge, "look over here."

Obeying with a scowl, Leanne shifted her attention to the view that Naesala was so persistent about showing her; within an instant, she understood why that was. The entire island of Phoenicis stretched out below her, mixed with colours beyond those that she adored in the woods. The greens, blues, and pales rainbows were all there, as were sunshine-tinted clouds, bright red and purple bushes overtaken by berries, villages of a myriad of colours...

While Leanne continued to ogle the scenery, her raven company roamed over to a relatively round rock that jutted out from the ground to about the height of his knees. He claimed it as his perch, sitting atop it and staring at Leanne while she failed to notice his movement, or simply did not care. "Why don't you come and sit here?" he said, prying her attention away from nature. She turned around to find Naesala sitting on his boulder, patting the space left next to him to further emphasize his suggestion.

Having no reason not to comply since she the view could still be enjoyed from where Naesala waited, Leanne wandered over and dithered before sitting down. She stared condescendingly at the rock, and then to the lower half of her dress, "Ah," she motioned to the stone layered with loose dust and then to her impeccably white dress, "It will be getting dirty."

"Hmm, that is a problem," Naesala brought a finger to his chin in contemplation, and then smoothly slid his arms about her waist and drew her closer to guide her to his lap, "Sit on me, then." Leanne initially gripped onto his shoulders as an instinctive resistance, but after a moment's thought she decided that she had no reason not to go along with his offer, so she accepted his lap as a seat, his hands still at her waist and hers locked securely at the back of his neck. As her body settled into the position—her limbs loosening, heartbeat easing—she lowered her head onto his shoulder to observe the setting once again, albeit at a more peculiar angle. "Am I comfortable?" the raven king asked audaciously.

Without paying any mind to the implications behind his question, Leanne responded, blushing nonetheless, "V... Very comfy."

A smirk overtook Naesala's face, enjoying the timidity of her answer without even having to see the blush accompanying it. When she had incited a reaction from him the last time that they were together, he had gotten flustered and slipped away; with the situation reversed, he did not feel that need to hold back. As Leanne lifted her head and gave him an adamant stare caught between a glare and a look of confusion, his certainty faltered because her thoughts must have been flashbacking in the same manner that his were. He turned his gaze away as she continued her meddling with words:

"Last time, why did you..." she paused, and unable to find the word, placed her palm on Naesala's chest and pressed against it, "...push? Push," she concluded with a nod, "Why did you push me away?"

Naesala kept his eyes away from Leanne as he answered, "We were in Tibarn's castle. Would it really have been intelligent of me to have not pushed you away?" Leanne's eyes answered for her, prying and prying while Naesala continued to do his best to avoid looking at her as though expecting her stare to be one that would be difficult to ignore. Leanne's patience yielded before his evasion did, so she glided off of his lap, his hold on her casually breaking and leaving his hands lingering in the air. "Leanne."

"Then, we go," she walked closer to the cliff's ledge, "to Tibarn's castle. Nothing different there, here." Her wings outstretched and pulsed slightly as she hinted that she would take flight. Giving into her wordless threat, Naesala stood up and rushed up behind her, nonchalantly placing his hands at the tops of her wings and folding them back into a settled position. Leanne twirled around, her nose brushing against Naesala's and causing her to take a step back with a gasp that diminished the cold attitude that she had seemingly put up.

As her heel fell over the summit's edge, Naesala reached over the small distance between them and drew her back onto solid ground. "I don't doubt your ability to fly back up here if you fell off," he began, pulling her even further from the drop, or closer to himself, "but how could I begin to redeem myself if I passed up on an opportunity to rescue a princess?" She moved to turn her head away and conceal the smile relentlessly pulling at her lips, but Naesala swooped in and took it upon himself to smother the smile with a kiss.

It felt to Leanne as though her insides were switching places, the juddering sensations in her stomach strong enough to spread through her whole upper body. Just as everything else settled down and her lips could finally absorb the feeling of his, hardly ideal in texture but flawless in nature, he pulled away. "Back to the castle, then?" Naesala did as Leanne had originally been threatening, spreading his wings and beating them without actually lifting himself from solid ground. He saw that any objections that she had had to his reluctance had dissolved; she seemed dumbfounded without anything to pester him about. "Come on, Leanne," his voice crooned.

The heron blinked, prolonging the time with her eyes closed before opening them again and nodding, "Y—Yes. Yes."

Their goodbyes were said at the back of the castle where no guards were patrolling. Leanne attempted to have him guide her to her room as he did the last time, but Naesala refused with the argument that the more times she disappears without a word, the more likely that there will be hawks waiting for her return. She perceived it as nothing but an excuse, although it still held logic that she could not deny; still, she hesitated before flying up to her window, and he showed no immediate desire to leave. When no actions or words came forth in spite of their unwillingness to part, Naesala spoke his farewell.

"Let's do this again, shall we? In six days, we'll say."

The same amount of time that had passed since his last visit. Although she agreed with a nod, she wondered why he made it such a length of time: maybe he wanted to avoid suspicions with an obvious routine, or perhaps it had something to do with his responsibilities in Kilvas. In any case, Leanne had no complaints because six days instead of a week meant one less day that she would go without Naesala's company, and although he would never admit it, that was his reason as well.

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Awww, ha ha. I personally enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter because sibling relationships are a blast to write, even though I don't do them often. As always, I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter!


	4. Chapter IV

I am _so_ sorry for taking such a long time to update, everyone! Here's where I insert the generic excuses like school and sickness more school and an anime convention (alright, not so generic). I won't make you wait anymore, though. Read away!

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The hawks were sparring.

Leanne set her elbows onto the short wall that lined the castle's roof and squished her chest against it to get a closer look at the action below. It was almost disappointing that the one day that something interesting was happening was six days after Naesala's previous visit... _almost_ being the only significant word in her mind because the alternative of spending time with Naesala seemed boundlessly superior.

Still, watching the hawks was an entertaining way to pass the time while she waited for Naesala's arrival. Ulki and Janaff were both in their transformed states, testing out the strength of younger hawks that did not have the experience of true battles as they did. Tibarn was taking part in the training, as well, although he was practicing untransformed combat. Even from her post much higher up, Leanne could make out the contours of the hawk king's exposed abs in fair detail. She leaned in slightly closer, a subconscious grin on her lips as she felt liquid giddiness swirl in her stomach; the feeling as she watched Tibarn brawl with his upper half unclothed felt so similar to the feeling when Naesala had kissed her.

Bringing that experience to mind, Leanne's thoughts began to drift to how she would greet Naesala when he arrived. She knew that she wanted another one of those kisses—maybe a few more, even—but she was not sure that she could simply move in and initiate one herself. She considered coaxing him into giving her the first one, and then perhaps she could approach him for more as she saw fit. What if he did not understand what she wanted, though? Throughout her entire life she had heard girls complaining about how boys never processed hints.

Still contemplating a resolution to her dilemma, Leanne felt arms wrap around her from behind and a face nuzzle into the base of her wings. Calm despite what should have been startling, Leanne turned her head as far left as she could and moved her gaze the same direction. She caught a glimpse of black feathers that confirmed that she was being embraced by whom she assumed, so she returned her eyes to the scene below, looking past it instead of at it, wrapped up in Naesala's arms and nothing else.

The hug tightened briefly and then loosened considerably, allowing Leanne to turn around and face him at last. Before their eyes could even catch each other, Naesala nonchalantly made their lips connect. ...That certainly solved Leanne's problem.

Pulling away, the raven king murmured lowly, "Hello."

Leanne breathed out a sigh appeased by his action and the questions that had been lifted along with it. "Hi Naesala."

He propped his chin on the top of her head to better see the happenings below. "I guess we'd best get out of here," he remarked, and Leanne could feel his throat vibrate, which made her giggle. "I'm already sick of so much of our time being spent travelling... It can't be helped, though, can it?" Identifying the question as one that was not meant to be answered, Leanne remained silent until Naesala pulled back again and posed another question, this one not rhetorical: "I'd say it's worth it, though, wouldn't you?"

Squinting her eyes with a smile, Leanne gave a resolute nod. "Yes!"

"Then let's go," he said, already beginning to walk to the opposite side of the roof where the hawks' eyes could not see him. Leanne turned to follow, but before actually moving forward she glanced back at the hawks, satisfaction on her face as she noted them all—especially the attentive Ulki and Janaff—just as engaged as ever, oblivious to her escape. Eagerness in her movements, she had a subtle skip in her step as she followed Naesala.

Once they were in the sky, Naesala instantly took it upon himself to lead the way to the location that he had decided on. Leanne opened her mouth to protest his guidance, remembering the disappointment that she had felt last time; however, when she recalled how happy she had been when they left, she switched her conversation to life at Phoenicis.

She chattered on in the ancient tongue for most of the flight. Much of her babbling was amusing to Naesala, most of it being gossip that she had heard around the hawk palace and was then repeating without any reservations. Part of him was interested in memorizing the rumours for any potential uses they could have in the future, but above all, he was charmed by how she rambled everyone's secrets off without a care or regret. He was certain that the subjects of her gossip would hardly be as delighted at her free spirit, but that only made it more captivating to him. The blatant contrast between her innocent heron appearance and some of the raven-like suggestions coming from her mouth were deliciously unbalanced.

"Where we go?" she suddenly asked, changing to the modern language as though ensuring that she would receive his full attention.

Naesala looked to her and was met with curious, wide eyes. He turned away, head facing ahead, and mumbled a thoughtful 'hmm' and nothing more. An indignant puff came from the heron next to him, which only provoked him to smirk and stay quiet even longer to agitate her. The silence hardly lasted long, though, as with their next upward glide over a mountain peak, Naesala's plotted destination was revealed. "We're going there," he said without looking back, instead flicking his chin forward to bring attention to the shoreline.

When she saw the bleak ocean scene, a wave of disappointed washed over her as though the waves crashing against the shore were carrying her dismay. "It is grey," she repeated the same observation that she had said when he had brought her to the cliffs, only without concealing the unhappiness that went along with it.

He laughed off her dissatisfaction and swooped down to the rocky shore. He landed where the moving water could sweep over his boots, and then turned to face Leanne who was still hovering above. "Come on, it has its..." He paused to consider an appropriate word. "...allure!"

Leanne's subtle frown stayed in place as she joined Naesala on the beach. She landed slightly further from the water than him and took some time to gather up her dress before moving forward so that its edges would not be soaked. Her expression seemed even less content in having to hold onto so much fabric. Naesala gave a hopeful smile and pointed across the body of water as he said, "Look! There's a surprisingly nice view here, too. It's Kilvas!"

Leanne broke into a devious grin for an instant, but quickly hid it and looked to Naesala with narrowed eyes. "That not pretty," she commented, her smile threatening to break out again. He returned her playful glare—although it seemed more naturally suited to his face than to hers—and lightly pushed his palm against her shoulder, intending to be a shove to just put her off balance for a moment; however, with one hand clutching onto her dress she already had less balance than she normally would, and stumbled back and onto the wet sand.

"Oh damn! Leanne, I'm sorry!" Naesala apologized and reached an arm out to help her up. "I didn't mean to be an abusive boyfriend. Really," he insisted, leaning slightly closer.

Instead of instantly accepting his hand, she sat thinking over his last comment as the water lapped against her legs. "Boyfriend?" she repeated.

Naesala seemed to start when she uttered the word; had he said that? He laughed to compose himself. "Well yes. Abusive friend doesn't sound quite as bad, does it?"

"You..." She turned her gaze down, watching her finger as she traced scribbles in the sand. "...abu," she struggled through the rest of the word, "abusive friend, or abusive boyfriend?" Satisfied with her wording, she looked up and caught Naesala looking baffled once more.

His automatic thought was, _"What do _you_ want me to be?"_ but he knew that Leanne would not settle for that; she wanted a 'friend' or 'boyfriend' answer, and nothing in-between. "I don't know," he said, trying to act casual. "I guess we could say abusive boyfriend if that's what you want."

"Maybe... no abusive?"

"So just boyfriend?"

Leanne nodded, her face suddenly flushed although she seemed confident in her answer. Naesala gave her a smile that assured her that she had indeed made the right decision. She finally accepted the hand that he was offering and he pulled her up with the slightest struggle hinted at in a grimace. When they were standing face-to-face, the lower backside of Leanne's dress layered in filth, she was tempted to give him a shove back to get even; however, he would get more distraught at being covered in wet sand than she had.

"Go back?" Leanne asked, pointing her finger in the direction of the castle instead of pointing it at Naesala's chest to make him fall backwards. "I need clean."

Naesala cocked his head and smirked, eyes noting the grey clay colour seeping further into Leanne's white dress. "Yes," he observed, "you really do." He took to the air first, prompting Leanne to follow by entwining his fingers with hers. She kept up as they made their relaxed flight back to the palace, hands never separating; after all, they both thought, boyfriends and girlfriends held hands, didn't they?

By the time they arrived back at the Phoenicis castle, the hawks had completed their training and were in the building or back in their homes. Settling their feet onto the castle's roof, Leanne stepped towards her room's window while Naesala moved to look at where the hawks had been earlier, their arms having to stretch as far as they could without letting go of each other. They both looked back at the other. "What you look at?"

"Nothing, thankfully. I wanted to see that no one was outside anymore."

"We see that when fly down!" Leanne argued and planted her free hand on her hip, only to feel that her dress had grown stiff from dried mud. "Ugh," she grunted as she scrunched up her face. "No time out here, anyway. I need clean for dinner."

Naesala settled his palm against her hip and drew himself closer. "Fine," he sighed like a child agreeing to eat his vegetables knowing that he would get dessert later; although, Naesala wasn't quite as patient as a child. He leaned forward and pressed a 'goodbye' kiss, of sorts, just below Leanne's ear. Instead of leaving it at that, though, the raven left a path of kisses further along her jaw and on her neck, at which point Leanne gave a warning swat against his chest. "Okay, fiiine," Naesala repeated, finally backing away and raising his hands defensively, "you can go clean up."

She let out a giggle, but her expression grew stern quickly. "You back... six days?"

"Six days," he affirmed, and began to move closer to seal that promise with another kiss. Leanne pressed her lips together with refusal and turned towards her room's window, though Naesala caught the way that she had eyed his mouth before pretending to ignore him. He chuckled lowly and turned to face the direction opposite Leanne. "I'll see you then, Leanne."

"Bye," she whispered as beating wings retreated.

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If this story were an anime, this chapter would be a filler episode, hahaha. It has some moments that I like, but overall, I think that it took me so long to write because I just didn't feel like I was actually writing anything significant. Next chapter, though, I want to get some development in, so I certainly hope that it won't take so long to write. As always, I love hearing what you all have to say above all!


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